Bobby Baldwin: Poker Player and Businessman

Bobby Baldwin, professional poker player and influential
businessman, was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2003.
He is especially famous for his impeccable poker skills which
landed him a total of four WSOP bracelets over the course of his
career.

Baldwin currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada and is the
President and CEO of the MGM/ Mirage Resorts. He is highly
respected in the gambling community, having found a lot of
success in the industry.

Early Life

Bobby Baldwin was born in 1950 in Tulsa Oklahoma to an
upper-middle class family. At only twelve years of age, Bobby
Baldwin played in his first poker game, and despite losing he
was immediately hooked. He played casually throughout
high-school and was known as the person to beat among his peers.

Baldwin attended Oklahoma State University during the late
sixties and early seventies, and it was there that his
fascination with poker really took off. In 1970, Baldwin and a
few of his gambling buddies took their $5,000 that they earned
while playing poker on campus and headed to Las Vegas. It was
only a few hours after their arrival that their entire bankroll
had been diminished.

For most people this would be the end of the story, but not
for Baldwin. He begged the casino for a $500 credit, which they
eventually gave to him. With just a few chips left from losing
all of that as well, Baldwin turned the game around and
continued on a winning streak earning him nearly $180,000.

Having this new increased budget to work with, Baldwin spent
the majority of his college career investing his time and money
into sports betting. He was especially interested in the NFL,
but he dabbled in other areas as well.

Shortly after college, Baldwin married his high-school
sweetheart, but unfortunately their marriage didn't last as they
were divorced just one year later.

A Career in Poker

Baldwin's poker career took off in 1977 when he won his first
and second WSOP bracelets within that same year. He won a WSOP
bracelet at both the Deuce to Seven Draw and the Seven-Card Stud
tournaments for a total of $124,000 in proceeds that year.

During 1977 to 1979, Bobby Baldwin won WSOP bracelets three
consecutive years in a row, which has only been accomplished by
a few people over the course of WSOP history.

When Baldwin won the No Limit Holdem World Championship in
1978, he became known as the youngest winner in history to do so
being just twenty-eight years old. However, several people have
since broken his record.

World Series of Poker Bracelets

Year

Tournament

Prize

1977

$10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw

$80,000

1977

$5,000 Seven-Card Stud

$44,000

1978

$10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship

$210,000

1979

$10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw

$90,000

Career Advancement

Instead of becoming a professional poker player, Baldwin
strived towards a different goal, being particularly interested
in the management end of the gambling business. In 1982, Baldwin
became a consultant for the Golden Nugget casino and just two
short years later he became the President of the company.

Continuing to work his way up the corporate ladder, Baldwin
also became president of the Bellagio hotel and casino in 1998.
At the turn of the century, upon the merger of Mirage Resorts
and MGM Grand, Baldwin became the President and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Steve Wynn's Mandalay Resort group which came
with an astonishing seven million dollar contract.

Five years later, Baldwin became the CEO and President of the
announced Project City Center while still attending to his
responsibilities at the MGM/Mirage resorts. Baldwin has since
been behind the development of several other successful
subsidiary resorts as well.

In 2007, the Bellagio Casino opened "Bobby's room," which is
a signature high stakes only poker room established in Baldwin's
honor. There's a $20,000 minimum buy in for this room.

Personal Life

Along with Baldwin's poker achievements, he is also a
thriving world class billiards player and an avid off road
racer.

Baldwin came out with "Bobby Baldwin's Winning Poker
Secrets," in 1979. Years later in 2004, Mike Caro and Baldwin
worked together to revise the book, making it a huge success
among the poker community. Players of all different levels
bought the book and were inspired from Baldwin's tips and
strategies.

Bobby Baldwin with his wife Audra Hendley

Bobby Baldwin recently got remarried on August 2nd, 2012 to
Audra Hendley at their home in Southern Highland where they
presently reside today.